ASSESSMENT
Please select five out of the first ten questions to answer. Please keep your answers concise. No credit is given for extra words. Use APA style citations and a reference list of those citations to support your answers whenever possible.
PLEASE do NOT DELETE the question that you are answering. You may delete the questions that you do not answer.
1. The history of organizations is replete with theoretical ideas from many cultures and time periods. The past one hundred years has been particularly interesting in that the ideas behind organizational theory have become the subject of intense research and study per se (by themselves), independent of being developed by practitioners for their religious, political, or economic arenas, as had previously occurred. Select one major concept from organizational theory over the past one hundred years and present a brief history of the idea and how it is relevant to you in your profession, career, or place of employment.
2. The priorities of organizations are important, and organizational theory defines the methods that organizations use to define their priorities and communicate them to stakeholders. Please briefly describe the priorities of an organization with which you are familiar. Would everyone who is asked about the organization agree with you on the priorities of the organization? If so, why? If not, then why not?
3. The lifecycle of organizations is something not generally understood very well beyond organizational theorists. Often, the length of life cycle stages is influenced by the sector to which the organization belongs. Briefly describe and analyze the life cycle of an organization with which you are familiar. Specifically describe the factors that you think have influenced the periodicity of its stages. Can you say anything about its future given what you have learned and what you know about the organization?
4. Some theorists believe that the appropriate structure for organizations is paramount and necessary for success. Others believe that organizational culture is the primary factor in achieving organizational goals. Please explain and reconcile to the best of your ability differing perspectives on the importance of organizational structure and culture. Back up your perspective with support from established organizational theorists if you can.
5. Some managers believe that following the law is all that is required to keep their organizations doing things the right way. Others believe that doing things the right way must be accompanied by doing the right thing. What do scholars have to say about how organizations should behave? Briefly describe what you find out. What do you think?
6. Global leadership is not onlyacted out on a global stage. It can happen right in your own local organization or community. Describe how anyone in any organization (such as the one you might work in and write about) can demonstrate "global" leadership and how research findings about national and regional culturescould contribute.
7. Some theorists might posit that efficiency and effectiveness are a "zero sum game" in all organizations. A zero sum game is where any gain in either efficiency or effectiveness results in a precisely equivalent loss to the other. For example, adding another staff line to the organization is designed to make the organization more effective. However, the cost of the new staff member increases costs and therefore makes the organization less efficient. Please support or refute this proposition and describe how you might prove your position using methods supported by organizational theory.
8. We have used at least three research techniques in the first six weeks of MGMT 630: data collection (our leadership survey); case studies (including your mini case); and literature review of peer reviewed research to support your essay. Please select two of these research techniques and compare and contrast them in terms of their potential effectiveness for helping you or your organization (or one that you have been associated with), as you envision yourself in the workplace now and in the future.
9. Questions can be a great catalyst for human progress and organizational development. Using your special (hedgehog) leadership topic, imagine three questions that a naïve colleague might ask you about the topic if they found out that you were studying it. Write them down here. Now imagine three questions that a sophisticated fellow theorist from MGMT 630 might ask. Write down these questions as well. Which of the six questions you will address in your research report? Why do you plan to include them?
10. When organizational theorists write about technology they rarely mean information technology. Instead, they are usually considering a broader definition that includes human skills, organizational processes, and data (or information), as well as tools (such as machines or software). Do a little searching. Which of these components do organizational theorists view as the most significant challenges to change management? Tell us what you find. How does that compare with your experience?
QUESTION
It is often difficult to determine exactly when and under what circumstances we have "learned" something important. Once we learn something, we often feel as though we have "always" known it. Are you able to discern something have you have learned in MGMT 630 that has been especially helpful in your thinking, or your approach to work, management, or even life itself?
If so, please describe it and explain why it stands out as being important. Can you remember the 630 catalyst for your realization? If you have not had any aha (learning) moments, please feel free to provide any constructive criticism about how the course could be improved to increase your learning.